Hertfordshire Waste Partnership set to generate over £3m cost savings

Hertfordshire Waste Partnership (HWP) has predicted that its collaborative approach will create cost savings of £3.68m for the county's 11 local authorities in 2011-12.

Speaking at the LRS Consultancy network meeting in London last week (September 29) Duncan Jones, who project manages Hertfordshire's joint municipal waste management strategy, said that savings had increased year-on-year following the implementation of a joint waste strategy, intermediate inter-authority agreement and waste partnership agreement.

The HWP has formed three separate consortiums - paper, textiles and packaging - to recycle and sell materials such as glass, paper, plastic and textiles collected through kerbside collections in tendered 'lots'. This has generated an overall income of £7.7m for authorities over the past three and a half years.

Data complied by the partnership shows that paper recycling increased from 4,107 tonnes in 2008-9 to 32,822 in 2011-12 - generating an additional income of more than £2m.

Meanwhile, packaging recycling, which was introduced last year, generated an additional income of £648,900, while textile recycling, introduced this year, brought in £812,000.

The strategy also aims to cut waste by 50% by 2012, in line with the landfill allowances trading scheme.

In his speech, Jones explained how the results of the Government's Spending Review have impacted on the partnership's waste management strategy, forcing councils to increase the income they generate from waste, while also developing new markets for materials. However, he added that the HWP's overall aim was to bring in "greater choice" for councils.

Jones said: "We are trying to develop a way of generating and bringing our markets together by developing new markets for new materials.

"We have launched packaging, textile and plastic contracts as a consortium, which have all ended up generating a major additional income for the partnership on the basis of joint working. Over the past three and a half years we have generated an additional income of around £7.7m for local authorities through these arrangements."

Presentations from the LRS Consultancy network meeting can be viewed here.